Lightning Crashes

What a week!

Early in the week I was trapped in a severe storm by the Mekong river, which separates Thailand from Laos. As lightning crashed too close to me for comfort, I hid in a cave to protect myself and my cherished camera from the torrential rain while my only escape route transformed into a waterfall. After about ten minutes I realised that the conditions were only going to get worse and so I endeavoured to climb the waterfall to safety, gripping on to the single slippery rail and trying ever-so-hard to keep my feet grounded so as not to fall down the cliff into the Mekong. I seriously thought I was going to die! I found myself having flashbacks of happy moments in my life and, to my surprise, praying haha. Obviously I made it out alive but not without many screams and tears along the way.

The weekend past was the anniversary of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death - the most important date on the Buddhist calendar. To celebrate a couple of the teachers and their families took me to an international temple near Ubon Ratchithani that is populated with monks from all corners of the globe and headed by an Aussie abbot. For two leg-numbing hours I kneeled before a large gold Buddha statue, listening to the awe-inspiring chanting of the monks and the hundreds of Thai followers around me. Afterwards I participated in the vientiane (or however it is spelt). This entailed following the monks around the temple three times - once for Buddha, once for his teaching and another for his followers - whilst holding a candle, incense and a lotus bud. The sight of hundreds of people walking calmly and in silence in the dark with burning candles was absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. I walked away that night strangely feeling as though all the tension in my body and stress in my mind had vanished. An amazing experience and one that I'll never forget.

At school the kids have started to let go of their initial shyness. They are now comfortably approaching me outside of class to practice their English on me. "Goo afernoo teasher" they giggle. A few cheeky boys have even called out to me "I loe you teasher" and "You are so bootiful teasher" before ducking behind fences to preserve their anonymity haha. Word of my presence at the school has somehow reached miles away and the Pa-a has received several letters from other schools requesting that I visit their students for a day. So far the Pa-a has agreed to let me attend the nearest primary school for a few hours next Tuesday.

Whatelse? Oh, I have a fan in my room now thanks to a concerned teacher at the school. And I have not received another visit from the snake but last night I busted a couple of geckos having sex near my bed. I thought at first it was a large gecko having a heart-attack, however upon closer inspection I realised that there were in fact two geckos jumping up and down having a great time. You'd think that they'd at least hold off till they were somewhere discreet!

In the Middle of Nowhere

Sawatdee-ka!

For the past week I have been teaching English at a remote school in the poor northeastern Thai province of Si Saket... and when I say remote, I mean REMOTE!! I am over an hour away from internet access and any form of a town, 3kms away from the nearest cluster of shacks and I am surrounded by forrest and rice fields. I am living in my own private double-story 'house' with no fan/air-conditioning, no flyscreens except in my bedroom and no furniture (I sleep on a thatched mat on the floor). My house is plagued with mozzies, ants, spiders and locus and three days ago I had a scary visitor in my room... a snake!!! I have managed to clear my room of most insects by spraying daily, never turning on the light and having my door closed permanently, however to venture downstairs to the 'kitchen' or to have a shower (a shower entails splashing myself with a putrid bucket of water) means subjecting myself to countless bites from god-knows-what. My northern Bali experience doesn't come close to this as far as shitty living conditions!!

But the warmth and hospitality from the 17 other teachers and 350-something students more than makes up for it. I have never been treated with such kindess in all my life! I have been given several bunches of roses, the students have made various handicrafts for me and a fancy ceremony was organised in my honour - some old Bramahan came to the school and blessed me for over an hour, throwing rice and water at me and giving me a boiled egg to eat, while the teachers and students tied white string around my wrists. I am always given a seat next to the Pa-a (school director) at meals, I was asked to open the village games and present trophies to the highest-achieving sports stars and this weekend I have been treated with a lovely tour of the province. I feel very special!!

The Pa-a and teachers have told me they are blessed to have me teach at their school, however I think it is moreso the other way around! Helping a bunch of kids in the middle of nowhere learn English to improve their career opportunities gives me so much satisfaction, words can not describe. And when the head of the 2-person English department tells me that the kids rave about how helpful and funny I am I can't help but choke up. It all sounds so gay but it makes me soooo happy to watch these kids learn. They are such beautiful kids and I wish that I can do more for them. Maybe one day I will.

Thai Massage

I've just returmed from having a very-much-needed Thai massage... 1 hour special for less about $6 that lasted over an hour. I walked past a massage parlour that looked like a medical facility and was chokkas with Thai people having their bodies rubbed and twisted. A good sign, I thought. Anyhow, my body was rubbed, smacked, stepped on, twisted, cracked and elbowed for over an hour and it now feels so damn good. My shoulders are still very knotted, but I'd need to pound them with a hammer to release them of tension, they are that bad.

Well, I am staying on Khao San Road for the night. It's the place to go if you want really cheap accommodation, which I do want! I'm staying in a guesthouse above a bar/cafe and I swear it's the same one that Leo stayed in on The Beach. Carboard thin bright aqua walls, nothing but two rigid single beds situated side-by-side and a clinkedy-clonk fan. It sort of feels like I have been sent to prison, though I'm sure Aussie jail cells are nicer than my room. I doubt I'll get a great night's sleep seeing as though the sound of traffic outside my room is annoyingly loud and I can hear the conversations of the two pommy lads in the room next to me very clearly. But what can one expect for less than $5 a night for a double room?

Blisters in Bangkok

So, I arrived in Bangkok last night after a nine hour flight from Sydney. I was hoping to get some sleep on the flight but I only managed less than an hour.

I was almost disappointed as the plane was circling the city prior to landing. The night lights gave the impression of an orderly geometric city, certainly not the image of Bangkok that I had in mind. But, as usual, looks were deceiving. Bangkok at ground-level is a bit chaotic with streets running in every direction and above one another. A lot of concrete. A lot of smog. Not very pleasing to the eye but, as I am discovering quickly, lovable just the same.

After an uncomfortable sleep on what felt like a concrete bed, I awoke to the sound of motorbikes and roosters. I had breakfast at a street market (not sure what I ate but it was cheap and tasty!) and decided to head into the centre of the city, which was a challenging and exhausting feat. There I explored several of the sites by tuk-tuk: Lucky Buddha, Big Buddha, Black Buddha and many other Buddhas. Wat Pho, the home of the famous reclining Buddha, was closed until the afternoon so I thought it best to visit it some other time. Afterwards I took a stroll down the infamous Khao San Road, which I had first heard about in The Beach. A street filled with too many backpackers, conterfeit goods and 7/11s, it reminded me of Itawaen in Seoul and Jalan Legian in Kuta... alright to visit but not for any length of time.

I ran into a crazy old Thai dude who offered to take me to the Siam Square by motorbike and he was way too cute to refuse. So, on the back of his bike I hopped and within an instant we were dodging traffic, travelling at unimaginable speeds. A few times I had to bring my elbows close my body to avoid knocking them as we squeezed our way between other vehicles. Almost had a heartache!! Don't worry Mum and Dad, I was wearing a helmet!

A skytrain ride and an excruciating long walk later, I am now back at the guesthouse with aching blistered feet and a rotten headache. I think I'll go lie down and read for a while now to rest my poor body.

Goodbye!!

In five and a half days time I will bid farewell to the comfort and security of my Sydney home and embark on a seven-month adventure through Indochina, Western Europe and Morocco. I'm as good as ready to go and am hell excited!!!

Flying into Bangkok this coming Thursday evening, I will spend a few days exploring the Thai capital, it's grand temples and floating markets before journeying north-east to the province of Ubon Ratchithani. There I will teach English to disadvantaged children in a rural school for a month throughout which time I will live with a Thai family. In mid-June I will leave Thailand for Cambodia to explore the temples of Angkor Wat, experience the vitality of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Phen, and the riverside elegance of it's second city, Battambang. Then, at the end of June, I will depart the humid and rugged world of Indochina for the more sterile world of Western Europe.

My first stop along my European trail will be the liberal land of Holland, where I plan to relax for a week or so in coffee shops and 'drink coffee' while watching the canals come alive at night. A day or two in Belgium later, I will make use of my Eurail Pass and board a train to the infamous German capital of Berlin, devastated by the fire-bombing during WWII. From there I will make my way north to Denmark, the home of Aussie Princess Mary and the birthplace of The Little Mermaid, before crossing the strait to Sweden where I will reunite with friends and work as a nanny for two months, teaching a couple of young Swedes English and improving on my 'svenska'.

In mid-September I will leave Sweden's pristine shores for the grey skies and pork pies of bonny ol' Scotland where half of my roots are planted. After a couple of weeks of visiting family and watching a Celtic match or two, I will journey south to the north African kingdom of Morocco. There I plan to wonder the Marrakech town square of Jemaa l-Fna, ride camels in the desert and perhaps fit in a surf or two along Morocco's northern beaches. As the end of October draws near, I will then leave this part of the world to once again set foot in Asia.

Following a few nights in Bangkok arranging visas, I will fly into the Lao town of Luang Prabang, often argued to be Southeast Asia's most enchanting town. I will subsequently journey up the Mekong River to cross the border back into Thailand to visit the cultural centre of Chiang Mai. From there I plan to catch a (dodgy) flight into Myanmar where I will explore the Burmese city of Mandalay, wander at the temples of Bagan and float along the rivers of Inle Kalaw. A flight to Bangkok later, I will meet my sister who I have not seen since early January and together we will venture to southern Thailand for some well-earned rest and relaxation on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and some partying under the full moon before returning home just in time for my 22nd birthday on 10 December.

Of course, my travels never go according to plan but it's nice to look forward to an adventure as exciting as this will be! Please keep your eyes posted on the site to read about my experiences, good, bad and ugly, and feel free to forward your comments when you have something to ask, thoughts to share or simply to say hi. And until we meet again at Christmas, in the new year or at my Rasta-themed birthday party, know that I'm thinking of you all, that is when I'm not too busy having the time of my life! Take care while I am gone and don't do anything that I wouldn't do (which pretty much means you can do whatever tickles your fancy!). Peace.